University of Missouri officials said the school’s engineers have partnered with Dow and the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) in an effort to eliminate plastic waste.
The collaboration stems from millions of tons of plastic waste being discarded and not recycled annually — resulting in environmental problems.
To that end, authorities noted an effort is underway to test mixing plastic waste into asphalt pavement mixtures for potential use on roadways and bridges nationwide.
The exploratory work is being conducted at the Mizzou Asphalt Pavement and Innovation Lab (MAPIL) inside the MU College of Engineering, per officials, with plastic waste particles being added to the pavement mixture.
“Plastic was developed to be durable and has a shelf life of hundreds of years,” Bill Buttlar, the Glen Barton chair in Flexible Pavements in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, said. “Asphalt and plastics are also chemically similar because they both come from crude oil, so they can be mixed together. They aren’t perfectly compatible, but it’s close enough that engineers and chemists can work together to find a workable solution.”
Dow Chairman and CEO Jim Fitterling, a University of Missouri alumnus, said he is looking forward to partnering with the school.
“I joined Dow more than 35 years ago, two weeks after graduating from Mizzou,” Fitterling said. “Both this company and this university have been integral parts of my life. So, I always appreciate the opportunity to bring the two together. Through this project, Mizzou and Dow are partnering on an innovative solution that will better our planet. This project fits perfectly at the intersection between both Dow and the University of Missouri’s purpose and mission.”
Fitterling said Dow is working to tackle challenges that include ending plastic waste, adding that the solutions require problem solvers and partnerships.